Home/Hotels near landmarks/Wat Arun
Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, stands on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya River opposite Rattanakosin (Old City). Its riverside setting near Khao San makes it a landmark for exploring the historic heart of Bangkok.
Ordered by walking time, then star rating and guest score. Times are estimates from each hotel's map position (straight-line distance plus a quarter for streets, at 5 km/h); check the route before you go.
Sala Rattanakosin Bangkok is a 4-star hotel 300 m from Wat Arun, a 4-minute walk. It offers breakfast in room, air conditioning and free wifi, and its guest score of 4.2 from 1786 reviews makes it a reliable choice for visiting the temple.
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ARUN Riverside Bangkok is a 4-star hotel 350 m from Wat Arun, a 5-minute walk. It provides breakfast and air conditioning, and its guest score of 4.6 from 235 reviews reflects strong satisfaction among guests.
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Arun Residence is a 4-star hotel 320 m from Wat Arun, a 5-minute walk. It has air conditioning, making it a straightforward base for exploring the temple.
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Inn A Day is a 3-star hotel 310 m from Wat Arun, a 5-minute walk. It offers family rooms, air conditioning and free wifi, and its guest score of 4.7 from 387 reviews is the highest among the listed hotels.
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Sala Arun is a 3-star hotel 320 m from Wat Arun, a 5-minute walk. It has air conditioning and free wifi, and its guest score of 4.2 from 396 reviews indicates consistent quality.
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Ob Arun House is a 3-star hotel 340 m from Wat Arun, a 5-minute walk. It provides family rooms, air conditioning and free wifi, ideal for those who want to be close to the temple.
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Riva Arun Bangkok is a 4-star hotel 370 m from Wat Arun, a 6-minute walk. It offers air conditioning and free wifi, and its guest score of 4.6 from 795 reviews shows high guest approval.
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Baan Suandao Wat Arun is a 4-star hotel 370 m from Wat Arun, a 6-minute walk. It features family rooms, air conditioning and free wifi, making it convenient for visiting the temple.
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Aurum The River Place is a 3-star hotel 410 m from Wat Arun, a 6-minute walk. It has air conditioning and free wifi, and its guest score of 4.5 from 118 reviews indicates a well-regarded stay.
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Chetuphon Gate is a 3-star hotel 390 m from Wat Arun, a 6-minute walk. It offers air conditioning and free wifi, and its guest score of 3.9 from 139 reviews makes it a practical option near the temple.
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Staying in Rattanakosin (Old City) puts you on the same bank as Wat Arun, with the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier next to Wat Pho making the temple an easy addition to a day of sightseeing. The area mixes guesthouses and small riverside hotels, many within a short walk of the pier. Options include The Royal ThaTien Village, a 2-star hotel 420 m away (6 minutes on foot), and Chetuphon Gate, a 3-star hotel 390 m away (6 minutes on foot). Both keep you close to the temple and the ferry.
No hotels from the list are in Khao San, but it is a nearby area for those who want a backpacker base within reach of Wat Arun. From Khao San you can reach the temple by taxi or a combination of walk and ferry, though the hotels listed here are all in other areas. For a stay closer to the landmark, consider the hotels in Rattanakosin (Old City) or Bangkok.
Guests at the closest hotels can walk to Wat Arun. From Sala Rattanakosin Bangkok (300 m, 4 minutes), Inn A Day (310 m, 5 minutes), Arun Residence (320 m, 5 minutes), Sala Arun (320 m, 5 minutes), Ob Arun House (340 m, 5 minutes), ARUN Riverside Bangkok (350 m, 5 minutes), Riva Arun Bangkok (370 m, 6 minutes), Baan Suandao Wat Arun (370 m, 6 minutes), Chaiwat Hostel (380 m, 6 minutes), Chetuphon Gate (390 m, 6 minutes), Arom d Hostel (390 m, 6 minutes), Ghee Gelato House (400 m, 6 minutes), Pho Hostel (400 m, 6 minutes), Aurum The River Place (410 m, 6 minutes) and The Royal ThaTien Village (420 m, 6 minutes), the temple is a short stroll away. For hotels farther out, a taxi or the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier is the usual way to arrive. There is no metro on the Thonburi side, so from the airport a drive or taxi is the practical option.
Wat Arun is the porcelain-encrusted riverside prang that puts the postcard on Bangkok. It sits on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya and is unusual for a major Thai temple: its central prang, 70 metres high, is clad not in gold leaf but in millions of shards of broken Chinese porcelain, pressed into stucco to form flowers, garudas and demon guardians. The ballast of trading junks became the skin of a monument. Named for Aruna, the Hindu god of dawn, the temple is at its most photogenic at sunset when the river turns copper and the prang glows against the sky. You can climb the central prang partway up by a set of nearly vertical steps — the view over the river and the Grand Palace opposite is the payoff. At the base, four smaller prangs at the compound corners hold niches with images of the wind god Phra Phai on his white horse. The ordination hall on the north side holds a beautifully proportioned Buddha whose ashes of Rama II are said to be interred beneath. Walk the outer terrace at eye level with the porcelain and you will see the detail: teacups, saucers, plates, all repurposed.
Sala Rattanakosin Bangkok is the closest hotel we list, about 4 min walk · 300 m from Wat Arun in a straight line, in Bangkok.
Yes: 41 of the hotels we list are within 1 km of Wat Arun, about a 15-minute walk, and 19 are within 500 m. The closest is Sala Rattanakosin Bangkok, 300 m away.
None of the listed hotels mentions free parking; 1 list parking on their own page, the nearest being Baan Khun Nine Hostel Wangdoem.
Kasayapi Hotel has the best guest score of the hotels near Wat Arun: 4.9/5 from 120 reviews, 680 m away.
9 of the hotels we list within 1 km of Wat Arun have 4 or 5 stars, the nearest being Sala Rattanakosin Bangkok (300 m).
Yes, you can climb the central prang partway up by a set of nearly vertical steps. The view over the river and the Grand Palace opposite is the payoff. The upper terrace may be closed on stormy days when the porcelain steps become slippery.
The temple is at its most photogenic at sunset when the river turns copper and the prang glows against the sky. Best light is 16:30-18:00. It is open daily 8:00-18:00, but occasional partial closures occur during royal ceremonies. One to two hours is enough including the prang climb and the ordination hall.